Tottenham could be unwilling to match Lyon’s asking price of £26 million for defender Joachim Andersen and might look elsewhere for cheaper alternatives.
According to The Sun, Tottenham may not sign defensive target Joachim Andersen after Lyon placed a £26 million tag on the Danish international. Spurs are hoping to recruit a right-sided central defender in this window and are linked to several known stars across Europe.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been focused on improving his Spurs squad during this transfer window. Much of the links in recent days are associated with attackers, with Danny Ings, Tammy Abraham and Houssem Aouar all linked with a move to North London. Still, the Portuguese manager is also targeting defensive reinforcements.
More specifically, a right-sided central defender is a requirement for Spurs, with links to several players across Europe. The club are nowhere near signing anyone as of now but could be close to few players. Strong connections to Bologna’s Takehiro Tomiyasu remain hot, and the Japanese international might make his move from Italy.
Jules Kounde was also linked in recent weeks. While Sevilla did show positive signs towards accepting an offer involving £25 million-plus Davinson Sanchez, Kounde felt Spurs might not be the right club for his development and reportedly rejected them. That has left Tottenham to search for alternatives to the Frenchman.
One of their other targets was Joachim Andersen. The Lyon defender played at Fulham on loan last season and duly impressed some of the big clubs. There was significant Premier League interest in him at the end of last season, but Spurs had emerged as frontrunners in recent weeks.
Arsenal showed slight interest until they agreed to a £50 million move for Ben White with Brighton, leaving Spurs as the only real contender for Andersen. However, Tottenham are willing to bow out of the race as they are unwilling to match Lyon’s £26 million price tag for the Dane.
Andersen has two years left on his deal, and Lyon are looking to get top value for a player who is admired in Premier League circles. The French side are desperate for funds to finance their recruitments in this window. They have acknowledged Andersen’s displays from last season and the Euros to demand a significant fee.
However, Spurs do not want to spend £26 million on a player whose price will be significantly lower next season. They might still like to negotiate with Lyon, but the French club remain adamant over their demands. If the Andersen interest is completely out of the water, then Tottenham might look elsewhere for cheaper alternatives.